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In modern cloud security, managing credentials securely is a top priority. Traditional client secrets in Azure pose risks due to manual rotations and potential exposure. Federated credentials offer a more secure alternative by eliminating the need for static secrets.
You Should Know:
1. Why Move from Secrets to Federated Credentials?
- Client Secrets Risks:
- Manual rotation is error-prone.
- Long-lived secrets increase exposure risks.
- Federated Credentials Benefits:
- No secret storage required.
- Short-lived tokens enhance security.
- Works with OpenID Connect (OIDC) and managed identities.
2. Implementing Federated Credentials in Azure
Step 1: Register an App in Azure AD
az ad app create --display-name "MySecureApp"
Step 2: Configure Federated Credentials
az rest --method POST --uri "https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/applications/{APP_ID}/federatedIdentityCredentials" --body '{"name":"GitHubFed","issuer":"https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com","subject":"repo:org/repo:ref:refs/heads/main","description":"GitHub OIDC Fed Creds","audiences":["api://AzureADTokenExchange"]}'
Step 3: Assign Azure RBAC Roles
az role assignment create --assignee {APP_OBJECT_ID} --role "Contributor" --scope /subscriptions/{SUBSCRIPTION_ID}
3. Verify and Test the Setup
- Use GitHub Actions (or your CI/CD pipeline) to test token exchange:
name: Azure Login on: [bash] jobs: build: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: </li> <li>name: 'Az CLI login' uses: azure/login@v1 with: client-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CLIENT_ID }} tenant-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_TENANT_ID }} subscription-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID }}
4. Key Commands for Troubleshooting
- Check Token Validity:
az account get-access-token --resource https://management.azure.com
- Audit Federated Credentials:
az rest --method GET --uri "https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/applications/{APP_ID}/federatedIdentityCredentials"
What Undercode Say:
Transitioning from static secrets to federated credentials is a game-changer in cloud security. By leveraging OIDC and Azure AD integrations, organizations reduce secret sprawl and improve automation. Key takeaways:
– Use `az ad` commands for app registration.
– Automate token exchange in CI/CD pipelines.
– Monitor access with Azure AD logs.
– Rotate certificates (if used) via az ad app credential reset.
For further reading:
Expected Output:
A secure, automated Azure authentication workflow using federated credentials instead of static secrets.
References:
Reported By: Tracyyusec Applicationsecurity – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
